IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa men’s basketball used a strong finish to put away Nebraska for its third consecutive win on Sunday, 81-70.

The Hawkeyes (14-10, 6-5 Big Ten) put together an 9-2 run to turn a 3-point contest into a 10-point game with 1:23 to go — a run capped by a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Brady Ellingson, who waved to the crowd as he ran back to the defensive end.

The Cornhuskers (10-13, 4-7) have now lost 7 of 8.

Why it happened

The Hawkeyes locked down enough defensivley in the final 20 minutes to pull away for the victory. Nebraska scored at will in the first half, shooting 57.7 percent; the Hawkeyes held the Cornhuskers to 31.6 percent shooting after intermission and got just enough stops on in the final 20 minutes.

What it means

The defensive performance showed growth for a young team. The ability to make defensive adjustments during a contest wasn’t something Iowa showed it could do early in the season, or early in Big Ten play. This season is about tracking the growth for the Hawkeyes. They showed Sunday they are starting to pick up some in-game adjustments.

Who starred

Freshman point guard Jordan Bohannon put together another strong game, scoring 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range. Fellow freshman, forward Tyler Cook, scored 13 points and Ellingson hit a couple of big shots in the second half en route to 11 points off the bench (to go with 5 assists).

Ellingson a shark in the water there…knew his man had one shot…hits the trey over him.

Who stumbled

Anyone tasked with protecting the rim in the first half struggled. Nebraska scored 22 points in the paint in the first 20 minutes.

Who was there

Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz and new quarterback coach Ken O’Keefe were in the building for warmups. Former Hawkeye player Bobby Hansen sat courtside while he called the game on the Iowa Radio Network.

Who is next

Iowa will travel to Minnesota (16-7, 4-6) on Wednesday for an 8:06 p.m. (9:06 p.m. ET) tip. The game will be broadcast on BTN.